Brazil's exemplary record at the Copa America whenever they have hosted the tournament stood out on Monday. Brazil have won the tournament every time it was played on home turf, and the team will be looking to add to this record as they reached the final by beating Peru 1-0 at Nilton Santos Stadium in Rio de Janeiro on Monday.
In the final, Brazil will play the winner of the semifinal between Argentina and Colombia on Tuesday. Brazil will be seeking its 10th Copa America title.
Neymar played a crucial role in bringing about the only goal in the match against Peru. In the 34th minute, he tricked Peruvian defender Alexander Callens and assisted Lucas Paqueta who scored. Though Pacqueta had started the Copa America on the bench, he turned out to be one of the key players for Brazil, easing the pressure on Neymar. Neymar praised Pacqueta, noting, "Paqueta is a great player, he's getting better with each game," Reuters reported.
Despite his side losing, Peru goalkeeper Pedro Gallese had a stand-out performance in the match. Gallese "made two difficult saves from short range in the 18th minute, one by Neymar and the other by Richarlison, which could have allowed Brazil to cruise to victory sooner", Associated Press reported.
While Brazil had beaten Peru 4-0 in the group stage, scoring proved harder in the second half of the semifinal. “It (the match against Peru) wears us down not only physically, but mentally too... In these Copa America matches we play a mental marathon,” Brazil coach Tite was quoted as saying by Associated Press.
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Not surprisingly, Neymar hoped Brazil would meet Argentina in the final. "I want Argentina in the final... I am cheering for them because I have many friends there. In the final, Brazil will win," he was quoted as saying by Associated Press.
"The last time the two sides [Brazil and Argentina] met in a Copa America final was in 2007, when Brazil won 3-0 in Venezuela, and a title match between the arch rivals would be a treat for the neutrals. It would not only pit the tournament's only unbeaten teams against each other, it would also be a showdown between two of the best No. 10s in the game, former Barcelona team-mates Neymar and Lionel Messi," Reuters reported.
